Theft of a Hero: A New Generation
by Apex Soldier
Summary: At birth, Naruto is taken from his birthplace and winds up in the hands of Iwa's Tsuchikage. Raised to hate and trained to kill his father, what will Naruto do when he finally meets the bane of his existence face-to-face? What if he meets an interesting girl during the Chūnin Exams in Konoha? Is she the key to his destruction or what he needs to realize his dreams?
1. Stealing the Hero

**Ok, so here's the rewritten version of my story Konoha's Stolen Hero...**

**This chapter and the beginning portion of the next chapter will be the same as the previous version. However, after that, that's when I'll change the direction of this story in a completely different direction... sort of self explanatory but whatever...**

**Enjoy!**

**__****"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal."  
****~From a headstone in Ireland**

******Chapter One/Prologue: The Beginning of Something New...**

* * *

The sound of an infant crying could be heard though the night. A blond child cried in the arms of his mother, who was unconscious and unable to tend to the infant. Over them, stood the hero of Konoha, Minato Namikaze, Konoha's Yellow Flash. He smiled softly at his family who he was thankful were alive. His fight with Madara proved to be anything but easy but in the end, he pulled through.

He did find it odd that Madara suddenly ran off but with the Kyūbi sealed in his son and his wife still breathing, he couldn't find much to complain about. Although his wished to spare his son from the curse of containing a chakra beast, he was at least grateful everyone in his family was in one piece. He called for his ANBU to recover the victims of Madara's spontaneous attack and to send them to the morgue. He watched sorrowfully as Hiruzen and his wife, Biwako Sarutobi, were taken away. The life of a shinobi was an unpredictable and dangerous profession, not only for the ninja him or herself but for their families as well. If it wasn't for Hiruzen, he would've been the one lying on the ground, dead.

He summoned one of his clones and ordered it to summon a meeting with Konoha's council, clan heads and all other jōnins. The clone left with a nod and Minato shifted his gaze to Kushina. He walked over to her and picked her up with her cuddling in his arms, wary of their child.

"Little Naruto," Minato said with pride as he watched his son begin to calm down. "My son."

"Our... son." Kushina added weakly and Minato chuckled softly with a nod.

"I'm sorry, our son." Minato said as he used Hiraishin to send the three to their home. The use of the jutsu disturbed Naruto and caused him to cry loudly. Kushina groaned.

"It's your turn to deal with him." Kushina mumbled.

"He's in your arms." Minato told her and she mumbled incoherently before remaining quiet. Minato sweat dropped. "Fine, but I'm only doing this because you gave birth to him." Minato said and a smile appeared on Kushina's lips. "Now she hears me." Minato commented to himself as he headed for their bedroom. Somehow managing to open the door with his foot, he gently laid his wife on the bed and watched as she rolled to her side, taking Naruto with her.

Kushina lay him down next to her, opening her eyes and smiling motherly as she hummed a tune and ran her fingers through his small, blond hairs.

"I thought it was my turn?" Minato teased and Kushina giggled.

"You had your chance, _daddy_." Kushina taunted and Minato smirked as he lay on the other side of the bed. Staring at his wife, he rested his head on the pillow. Just the motherly way Kushina touched her son made Minato indescribably happy.

"I get a second chance, though, right _mommy?"_ He asked with a pout and Kushina nodded, never taking her eyes off their child.

"You get no arguments from me." She answered softly and Minato chuckled and started to do what Kushina was doing. The softness of his hair felt almost as if it wasn't real and Minato could've sworn Naruto was smiling.

"He's going to look like you." Kushina stated after a moment of silence and Minato smiled widely.

"No, he's going to have my hair but other than that, he'll look like you." Minato said. "He'll probably act like you too." He added and Kushina softly placed her forehead against his.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-chan." Kushina said with a smile and Minato placed a light hand on her cheek.

"Why should you be sorry? With my hair and your looks, we'll need our best jutsus just to keep the girls away from him." Minato joked and received a playful hit over the head by Kushina. "What did I say?" He asked with a playful pout.

"He's too young to be thinking about girls." She scowled and Minato chuckled. "He's still my little Naru-chan. My sweet, lovable baby boy." She said lovingly as she shifted her gaze to her son again. She was too busy looking at her son to see Minato staring at her as if she grew two angel wings.

"You're going to be an amazing mother to our child." He whispered and Kushina's violet eyes connected with Minato's azure ones.

"You think so?" She asked and Minato nodded his head.

"Dattebane." He mocked and Kushina closed her eyes tiredly and smiled.

"I'll get you for that tomorrow." She said sleepily.

"Until then, rest. We have a big day tomorrow, what with the welcoming party and all." He said as he got off the bed. Kushina nodded and held Naruto close to her as they both slept silently. He kissed Naruto on the cheek and gave an innocent but loving kiss on the lips to his wife before walking out of the room and stepping into the hall. He slowly closed the door, so he wouldn't wake Kushina or Naruto up. Making hand signs, another Minato appeared and Minato ordered it to stay to guard his family. He then walked down the hall and to the front door with much on his mind. A knock came from the door just as he opened the door and was greeted to the sight of Kakashi.

"Minato-sensei." Kakashi greeted as he bowed.

"Kakashi." Minato greeted and walked by. "Make it quick, I got a meeting to attend to." Minato spoke quickly and seriously and Kakashi nodded.

"I wanted to see how you and Kushina are." Kakashi said just as quickly and Minato nodded his head with a thumb up.

"We're fine; Naruto's great too." Minato added with a smile and Kakashi eye smiled.

"And Sandaime-sama?" Kakashi asked and Minato stopped walking. Kakashi blinked, watching his sensei think to himself quietly and somberly. Minato slowly turned his head and stared at Kakashi with solemn eyes.

"He's not with us anymore." He stated before continuing on his walk. Sadness crept into his heart and he felt his mood darken a bit. Kakashi didn't notice that Minato had continued walking without him and before long, he walked in a different direction. After a couple of minutes, Kakashi felt someone a few feet in front of him.

"BaKakashi." Kakashi looked up and was surprised to see his best friend up so late.

Minato shook off his sadness and replaced it with a stoic and serious expression and demeanor as the Hokage tower was in sight. He went up the steps and through the hall until he stopped in front of blue double doors. He took in a deep breath and opened the door to see Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane sitting behind their seats in a giant room. They were sat beside a chair that was in between them. Minato waved to the jonin and clan heads that resided in the room as he made his way to his seat.

"What's going on, Minato?" Homura asked but Minato didn't acknowledge him, he just faced the clan heads and jonin.

"As you know, we were attacked by the Kyūbi, the nine-tailed fox." The jonin and clan heads nodded. "The battle was difficult but in the end, it is no longer a threat to us."

"You managed to kill the demon?" A random jonin asked and Minato shook his head.

"Something like the Kyūbi is too much to handle, even for me." Minato informed them and they started muttering to themselves. "However, I managed to seal it in a human container so it would not roam free."

"Why don't we kill the container?" Shouted another jonin. "That way, the Kyūbi dies with it." A couple of agreeing murmurs were heard before they were all hushed by the sound of Minato's fist hitting the table in front of him and the feel of his killing intent.

"No!" He shouted and glared at everyone in the room. "Killing the host will not kill the Kyūbi. It would take a few years for it to rejuvenate but that's a temporary solution at best. Containing it inside a human being is our best course of action." He scolded. The jonin and clan heads remained silent. "On top of that, I won't allow anyone to kill my son." Shocked gasps and looks of shock were seen and heard throughout the room.

"So, what you're saying is…" Hiashi began and Minato nodded.

"That's correct, my son is the Kyūbi's container. If anyone wants to kill my son, I suggest you go through me first." He directed his gaze on every person in the room and watched as everyone averted their gaze. Minato noticed that his friends, Shikaku, Chōza, Inoichi, Tsume and Hiashi seemed to support him and showed no ill-will toward his son. Others, like Shibi, and majority of the jonin seemed to be neutral on the subject. Minato's eyes narrowed when he saw a man with black hair make his way towards him.

The man had short, brown hair and onyx eyes with visible creases below them. He wore the standard ninja vest, a black t-shirt with the Konoha Military Police Force symbol, and a black cloak with white diamonds on the bottom that stops just before his ankles. His black eyes stared challengingly at Minato's blue eyes.

"The Kyūbi is a menace and a hazard to Konoha's safety. As Leader of the Konoha Military Police Force, I propose we keep the _child_ locked up and under constant supervision." Fugaku Uchiha said.

"I second that." Minato's eyes glared holes into the second man who spoke. Said man was Danzō, an old war hawk who was always looking for potential future ROOT members. Minato had yet to discover the forbidden group but he had a gut feeling it was still alive somewhere.

"He is my son, my wife and I defeated the Kyūbi together and helped seal it in my son. If he was a danger to the village, I would not be here." Minato assured as he glared at Fugaku and Danzō.

"As you said, he is your son, so how do we know you're not lying to us just to save your son's hide?" Danzō asked.

"The Kyūbi was sealed within my son, the choice was heartbreaking but I knew it had to be done. I sacrificed my son's future for this village's safety because I am the Hokage. And I won't let anything obscure my duties. I give you my word, the Kyūbi will not be let lose in Konoha." Minato declared and noticed that many of the people in the room became more relaxed.

"But-" Fukagu was about to say but was interrupted.

"Silence!" Minato shouted, silencing everyone. "The subject of my son and the Kyūbi is over. Not another word." He scanned the room and saw no one try to argue. He saw a few faces that seemed angered by the current news but Minato knew they wouldn't dare do anything to go against him.

"I've got more news." His voice became solemn and harsh as he continued to speak. "I know we've lost lives today, none of which can ever be replaced. However, today was the passing of an old comrade and a person who was like a grandfather to us all." Minato said and some people immediately knew who he was talking about.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, The God of Shinobi, the Professor, passed away." Minato said and fought back a single tear. "Let us bow our head, not only to show respect to his passing but also of the others we've lost." Minato bowed his head and everyone did as well. After a few moments, he raised his head and saw others staring at him.

"This meeting is adjourned." He said and many shinobi started leaving. The Ino-Shika-Cho walked up to him and smiled.

"So your son is finally born, eh? Troublesome." Shikaku said and Minato smiled for the first time since the beginning of the meeting.

"Don't listen to him; having a child is a blessing." Inoichi said and Minato nodded.

"Babies are expensive and they sure love to eat." Chōza said and Shikaku chuckled.

"No, Chōza, yours just loves to eat. My kid just sleeps all the time. My troublesome wife has to wake him up just to feed him. Brat is too lazy to even wake up for food." Shikaku said and the four started to laugh. He then looked at his other long time friend, Inoichi. "Yours probably never stops crying, am I right, Inoichi?" Said man blinked as the other continued laughing.

"That's right; you did end up having a girl." Chōza stated and Inoichi looked away.

"I have nothing to be ashamed of." He said and the others started to calm down. "She will be Konoha's best kunoichi." Inoichi declared.

"I beg to differ." The four men turned to see Hiashi making his way towards them. His stoic face was looking at each of them. "My daughter will be born in two months from now. She will give your daughter more than a challenge." The five men became deadly silent before Minato started to laugh again. Shikaku, Chōza and Inoichi followed and Hiashi smiled.

"It seems that the next generation will be an interesting group." Hiashi stated and they nodded. They continued to talk among themselves before Minato yawned.

"Damn, the Yellow Flash is tired." Shikaku taunted and Minato lightly glared at him. "Hopefully there won't be another attack." Minato bade them a farewell before leaving and heading home. He entered his home, dispersed his clone whose memories showed that no one tried to attack his family, and climbed into bed. He saw Kushina open a magenta eye before it closed and she smiled.

"I'm home." Minato said and Kushina nodded feeling Minato caress her cheek.

"I love you." She mumbled sleepily, causing Minato's smile to widen.

"I love you too." He said before looking at his son. "And you as well, Naruto." He added before falling asleep.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Minato's eyes sprang open as his heartbeat raced and cold sweat travelled down his face. His dream… It felt so real. His heart felt heavy as the images of his dreams replayed in his head. He shook his head; thankfully, he was forgetting some of the more gruesome details of the dreams.

His cerulean eyes scanned the room and saw the still night sky from his window. However, according to his clock, dawn was nearing. He turned to see his son still sleeping soundly but his wife missing. He propped himself up and rubbed his eyes. He got off the bed and out of the room. Down the hall, he saw a light coming from the kitchen. Suddenly, his nose was assaulted by an alluring and delicious aroma. He followed it and wasn't surprised when he saw Kushina standing over the stove.

"Why am I not surprised?" Minato said as he hugged his wife from behind. She smiled and put her left hand on top of his head.

"You hungry?" She asked and Minato took a deep breath.

"Now I am." Kushina laughed as she served herself and Minato some salt ramen. They sat down on the table and were about to eat when Naruto started crying. Minato got up but was stopped by Kushina who placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok, I'll get him." She said as she walked out of the kitchen. He stared longingly at the ramen as he waited for her to comeback. His senses suddenly steeled and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

"MINATO!" Kushina's bloodcurdling scream broke the night's silence. His heart pounding, Minato jumped out of his seat and ran to his bedroom to see Kushina staring fearfully at the other side of the room. He slowly turned his eyes to the other side the room and his eyes widened. Standing near the open window was a masked man holding his crying, newborn child in one hand and a kunai in the other. To Minato, it seemed like time slowed down as the masked man brought the kunai over Naruto and stabbed him with it. His cries abruptly stopped and stock-still silence covered the room. Tears appeared on Minato's eyes while Kushina shook with dread and shock. Even under the mask, Minato could see a smile on the man's lips.

With reflexes developed through years of training, Minato grabbed his three-pronged kunai from his kunai pouch and tossed it at the man who killed his son. The man turned his head to the side, avoiding the kunai. His eyes widened when Minato disappeared.

"Bastard!" Minato grabbed the man by his collar and threw him through the window. The sound of glass breaking could be heard as the man rolled and stopped. Minato jumped out to follow him and took out four more kunai. He threw them and surrounded the man with them. The man looked around and saw more of the three-pronged kunai. Minato used the Hiraishin jutsu and the man found himself surrounded by yellow flashes. With a kunai in hand, Minato began to cut the man up through various angles and sides. The man rose from the attacks and when the attacks finally stopped, he headed for the ground. The man's eyes slowly opened and the last thing he saw was Minato heading for him with a blue, spiraling ball of chakra in his right hand.

"**Rasengan!**" Minato shouted as he slammed the rasengan on the man's stomach, drilling his stomach and causing the man to create a crater in the ground under him. Minato took a step back, inhaled deeply and was suddenly hit by the grief of losing his only son. He fell to his knees and tears fell from his eyes. Summoning another rasengan, he slammed it into the ground, letting off his frustration. He was about to do it again but was stopped by a hand. He looked up; his cold, hard eyes glancing back at violet ones.

"Minato-kun…" Kushina cried as she held her side with her right hand. Minato looked down and saw blood staining her white robe. "H-He… I… N-N-Nar…" Minato grabbed her as she fell and held her tightly. She sobbed in his chest and shook violently. Minato held her as tightly as he could and cried in her shoulder. The pain he felt was worse than any feeling he's ever felt before. He felt like he got kicked in the chest by Tsunade and found it difficult to breathe. By the way his wife sniffed and cried, he had no doubt she felt the same.

"He killed my baby boy!" Kushina shouted and Minato nodded somberly. A team of ANBU appeared, hearing Kushina's earlier scream and took note of the environment. Minato composed himself long enough to stare at the four ANBU with cold, steeled eyes.

"Get him to Ibiki. NOW!" The four nodded as one of them recovered the unconscious man and disappeared. Minato focused his attention back on his wife and saw her shivering. He picked her up and brought her back into the house. He placed her on the bed before she stood up and walked out of the room. He followed her and saw her go to the living room and sat on the couch. Minato sat beside her and she rested her head on his shoulder. He looked down at her and saw silent tears falling down her cheeks. He felt his own tears quietly traveling down his cheek and he quickly wiped them away.

They sat quickly, neither saying a word nor looking at each other. They just sat there until they fell asleep.

Off in the distance, a man smiled as he held a sleeping, blond haired baby in his right hand. He looked down at the baby and he chuckled. He stopped laughing as he felt a second presence nearing. Turning around, he saw the mask of his leader.

"Tobi." Two voices said simultaneously as the man bowed as best he could with the child. Tobi walked out of the shadows and looked down at Naruto. His lone, Sharingan eye spun slightly as he focused on him.

"So your mission was to abduct the Yondaime Hokage's only son, eh Zetsu?" Tobi asked and the half plant, half man smiled.

"That's correct." Black Zetsu said as his white side chuckled.

"It was really easy actually." White Zetsu said.

"What of your client?" Tobi asked and White Zetsu laughed while his counterpart scoffed.

"Tch, the fool was just cannon fodder." The Black side said with disgust.

"Haha, what a baka." White Zetsu said with a laugh.

"Very well." Tobi said and was about to walk away but was stopped by Zetsu.

"Didn't you come here for the Kyūbi?" White Zetsu said, nodding his head to Naruto.

"Baka, shut up." Black Zetsu scolded as Tobi turned.

"I did but there's been a change in plans." Tobi informed them as he eyed Naruto again. "Go, finish your mission. Report back to me when you've completed it." Zetsu nodded before 'swallowing' Naruto with his venus fly trap-like appendage and blended with the ground. Tobi began to walk before using his space-time technique to head to Kirigakure. If he expected his plans to begin, he'd have to start soon. Besides, he needed to look for more recruits.

* * *

**Really, there isn't much i changed, like i mentioned before...**

**You'll see some big changes next chapter (for those who have read Stolen Hero).. If you haven't, that's fine, I honestly think this one will be better...**

**Hopefully, this time around, i'll get it to how i wanted it to be...**

**Next Chapter: The Crimson (results may vary)  
**

**Till next time...**

**Good luck with whatever!**


	2. Accepting the Hero

**Sorry it took so long but I finally finished chapter two!**

**Its not as long or all that interesting but it is necessary...**

**Like I mentioned in the last chapter, only a portion of the chapter is the same as the last version, after that, I've had to rewrite the whole thing... Now, I haven't had much sleep but I was so determined to finish this and I tried my best to make this understandable and good... Not sure why but my English has been severely hurt by all my Spanish, so please forgive me if something doesn't make sense...**

**Without further ado, here's chapter two...**

**_"All that is necessary for __evil_ to _triumph_ is for good men to _do _nothing."  
-Edmund Burke  
**

**I don't own anything, sadly enough...**

* * *

Zetsu smirked as he walked through the hall with a silent Naruto in his hands. Currently, he was disguised as the man Minato had killed. All he needed to do was report in, give his boss the baby and he'd take a dead man's pay along with his own.

Life as a conman was good.

He appeared in front of double doors and knocked. He waited for a few seconds but an answer never came. He knocked again but still no one answered. He scoffed as he pushed the doors open and saw a giant room with a desk on the opposite side of the room with a chair with its back to the door. Zetsu walked up to the desk and placed Naruto on top of the table. He grabbed the chair and turned it with enough strength to make it face him. The man sitting in the chair gasped and let out a surprised yelp as he woke from a nap. He blinked when he stared at the man in front of him.

He wore a black jumpsuit with a mask concealing the bottom half of his face. His brown hair looked ruffled and unkempt as his tired green eyes stared at him. His brown Iwagakure flak jacket was placed over his black jumpsuit.

The man in the chair glared at the man in front of him.

"What do you want, Haru?" The man asked angrily. Haru just stared at the man. His facial features included a triangular beard and a mustache with angular corners. He had a big red nose and thick rectangular-shaped eyebrows. The top of his head was completely bald, although, he had some white hair at the back and sides of his head, the back of which was tied with a yellow ribbon into a topknot.

"My apologize Lord Tsuchikage but I have brought your package." Ōnoki blinked and looked down on his desk to see a small child wrapped in a white, ragged blanket. Ōnoki noticed that on the side of the blanket was a word. He turned his head slightly and saw the word 'Naruto' stitched on it.

"This is the Yondaime Hokage's son?" Ōnoki asked and Haru nodded his head.

"Yes sir." Ōnoki stared at Naruto before he pulled out a suitcase.

"Here, this is what you wanted, right?" Ōnoki asked as he tossed the suitcase at Haru. He caught it and opened it in a single motion. He looked inside and after a moment of silence, he nodded his head.

"If you need anything else..." Haru saw Ōnoki shake his head. "Very well. I shall go give the Akatsuki their pay." Ōnoki seemed to be in his own little world with Naruto so Haru just left without another word. Haru stepped out of his office and as soon as he did, he sunk into the floor and disappeared.

"Finally," He started as he held Naruto up in the air with a twisted smile. "I have the means of repaying your _father_ back for all the shit he's put me through." He said as he saw Naruto open his blue eyes.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Old man Tsuchikage had been so excited about his new weapon that he had almost forgotten to tell his advisors all about his plans. He had sent messages to both of the advisors to meet him in his office at dawn. The messages had been delivered three hours ago and dawn was only ten minutes away. Ōnoki's anxiousness grew and grew as the seconds passed ever so slowly. His ancient hands clenched and relaxed every so often, trying to release the pent up tension bottling in the pit of his stomach until finally, the doors to his office opened with a dull and droned protest.

The first to walk in was the eldest of his advisor, Satoshi Kururugi. He had more hair than Ōnoki, pulled back into a pony tail that reached down to the base of his neck, touching the tip of his teal Kimono. He used the help of a sturdy metal cane to walk around, or so it seemed; Ōnoki knew the truth. The man was still as dangerous as when he was in the prime of his youth, age did nothing to lessen the geezer's lethal capabilities.

Before Satoshi could close the door, his eyes locked onto the bundle on his Kage's desk. Without missing a beat, the elder advisor closed the door behind him as quietly as he could and stared at Ōnoki.

"You must be joking," he asked exasperatedly. When Ōnoki was about to answer, Satoshi raised his hand to stop him and kept it up as he moved to sit in front of Ōnoki's desk. "Let us wait for Daichi first; I don't want to hear the same explanation twice."

The two sat in silence for all of two minutes before the door opened and in came the second and final advisor. The first thing to be seen of the advisor was his salt-and-pepper beard and hair. His eyelids covered half of the man's brown eyes as he tried to rub the sleep out of his weary eyes. Daichi Suzuki was very well known in Iwa as the youngest advisor in the village at the age of forty-six. Normally, there was an unspoken age-limit to being an advisor but the man was so wise beyond his years that Ōnoki figured that he'd be wasting his talents by just sending him off to his probable death in missions.

"You're late, gaki," Satoshi said without turning to the aforementioned 'gaki'. Daichi just sucked his teeth and rubbed his sore neck.

"I made it before the sun came up, didn't I?" the youngest in the room responded wearily as he slammed the door behind him. Ōnoki's eyes sprang open and a second later, the cries of an infant was drilled into each man's ears. "What the-? A baby?" Daichi finally noticed the bundle on top of Ōnoki's desk and he raised his left eyebrow in confusion. The Tsuchikage called in someone to take care of Naruto and within minutes, a nurse came rushing in.

"I'll take him to the nursery now, Lord Tsuchikage," the nurse said.

"No need to travel so far. Just take him outside my office and make him stop crying," Ōnoki ordered and the nurse gulped but nodded in compliance. She walked out of the office and cooed and tried to soothe the crying Naruto. When silence finally came, Ōnoki glared at Daichi. The youngest advisor just raised his hands in defense, offering no kind of verbal defense.

"So Ōnoki," Satoshi began, trying to shift the attention of the purpose of the meeting. "The baby?"

"Ah yes, I suppose you two would like to know why I had an infant in my office," he started, gauging the reaction of his advisors. Satoshi remained patient as he stared passively at him. Daichi, however, seemed to be drifting in and out of sleep. All it took was the frustrated growl of his Kage to wake up the semi-conscious advisor. "You see, gentlemen, I have devised a plan to get back at the bane of our existence, The Fourth Hokage."

The Tsuchikage stood and began pacing his office, his eyes locking onto the window. "And that baby is our weapon."

"What? A baby?" Daichi asked incredulously. Satoshi had been thinking the same thing but restrained from saying anything; Ōnoki had peaked his interest. "What can that baby do that none of us can do now, aside from drowning him with his drool," he mocked. A smirk had slithered its way to Ōnoki's lips but because his back was to them, they couldn't see it. "Seriously, though, that baby could do no more harm to the Yellow Flash than a Chūnin. The only way I could see this baby doing anything to the man was if…" Daichi trailed off as a sudden memory flashed into his mind. Satoshi stared quizzically at his colleague.

"I see you finally understand," Ōnoki stated as he turned. Daichi stared at Ōnoki in disbelief.

"Even you couldn't pull it off," Daichi challenged but the old man only laughed at his disbelief.

"I didn't, but I had some help from a certain mercenary group."

"Akatsuki," Daichi spat, as if the name of the group itself stung his lips. Ōnoki said nothing as his wicked smirk widened. "I should've known those blond locks were too much of a coincidence."

Satoshi had no idea what the two had been blabbering on about but that final statement had helped bring him up to speed.

"But how? How did you know the Yellow Flash was having a child? How did you know when to strike?" Satoshi asked in awe. Ōnoki shook his head, amused by his advisors' reaction.

"The how's and the when's are irrelevant, my advisors; what you should be asking is the what," Ōnoki responded, confusing his advisors. "As in, what am I going to do with the bastard son of the Fourth Hokage."

"So what is your plan, oh-great Tsuchikage?" Daichi asked sarcastically.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked rhetorically, though he paused to let them think about it. "We demand the Yellow Flash to turn himself in, less he want the death of his first and only child on his head."

His advisors stared at the Tsuchikage for a few moments before Daichi began laughing. At first, he tried to subdue the laughter but it was too much for him to handle and he had to use all of his self-control just to stay seated and not sprawled on the floor. A vein bulged on top of the Tsuchikage's head, his anger rising by the second.

"What's so funny?"

"Your plan!" Daichi answered, wiping stray tears from his eyes. Before the Tsuchikage could turn the laughing man to dust, he was stopped by Satoshi, who stood.

"What my colleague is trying to say is that there are better, less dangerous alternative plans that can be implemented," the eldest advisor said in Daichi's defense. Finally, the laughter had died down and Daichi nodded in agreement.

"Such as?" the Tsuchikage asked in irritation.

"How about returning the brat before the Yellow Demon realizes that he's here and kills us all?" Daichi said but Ōnoki waved that off.

"Not an option; next!"

"While I normally don't agree with the gaki, I suggest we heed his advice," Satoshi ignored the glare coming from Daichi.

"And why should we?" Ōnoki asked, angered by the fact that his two advisors would think twice about getting back at the Yellow Flash.

"If we tell the deadliest man in the world to give himself up for his own kid, there's no doubt in my mind that he would do just that," Daichi explained, but Ōnoki still couldn't see the problem, causing him to sigh in frustration. "You want to personally piss off the man who single-handedly wiped out an entire battalion in the last war in the blink of an eye? And you want him to come into our village on top of that?"

"Obviously we won't just take him into our village. We make him give up all his weapon and-"

"The man is a killing machine without any weapons! Hell, he took on the Jinchūriki for the Eight-Tails and the Raikage, at the same time! He left the fight without so much as a scratch or a sweat," Daichi leaned his back against the chair and glared at his stubborn, old Kage. "We could tie him up with chains, lock him in a cage and dump his body off the highest mountain in all the five lands, and I can guarantee that he'll escape and tear Iwa a new asshole."

Ōnoki scoffed. "Anonymously returning his child to him is our best chance of reducing the casualties on our behalf," Satoshi added. The elder could see the frustration spark in his Kage's eyes, the same frustration that was always there whenever the Fourth Hokage's name was brought up in a conversation. And then, the frustration was gone, as if it was never there. Instead, his eyes shined to life with determination and mischief.

"So it's either return the child and keep the casualties at a minimum, or risk the safety of the village by threatening the Yellow Flash?"

"There's an approximate five percent chance of your plan succeeding," Daichi stated.

Ōnoki said nothing as he turned his back to the rising sun. He just stared into the distance before noticing a crowd walking into his tower. A sly smirk stretched his wrinkled face and he faced his two advisors.

"Then he will become one of us," the Kage said vaguely as he headed for the exit. Daichi and Satoshi blinked at his retreating form before following after him.

"Dammit, old man, what do you have planned?" Daichi growled in frustration. He finally caught up to the Tsuchikage and Satoshi. He walked in step to his colleague and nodded his head to the nurse following behind Ōnoki as well. They remained silent as they just followed their Kage. Finally, they stopped in front of the conference room. Bursting through the doors, Ōnoki was greeted by the sight of all of his Jōnins talking to one another; at least until he entered the room. All side conversations ended there and they all bowed to their Kage.

"Good morning, Lord Tsuchikage," they said in unison. Ōnoki moved to take his place on the desk while Daichi and Satoshi took their places on each side of him, followed by the nurse who held a sleeping Naruto.

"I know most, if not all, of you are wondering why I would call a meeting so early in the morning," Daichi sucked his teeth at Ōnoki's introduction. "You see, your great leader has finally found the means of getting retribution from the accursed Yellow Flash!" At this, the whole room erupted into a mixed reaction of disbelief and amazement. The nurse noticed that the sudden uproar was beginning to upset the infant in her arms, if the scrunching of his face was any indication. She motioned for the Tsuchikage to silence the crowd, less he want one more mouth contributing to the noise.

"Silence!" the Tsuchikage demanded and no other sound was made by his men. Naruto, however, was not as understanding. He cried loudly, upset by the even louder yell of the Tsuchikage. The nurse gave him a look of annoyance and Ōnoki just waved it off. Hushed whispers could be heard in the room, mostly pertaining to the crying baby in the room. "Now then, as I was saying. Our means of vengeance comes to us in the form of this child right here. For his lineage is not just special, but important," a wicked gleam lit up the Kage's eyes and the Jōnin could feel a chill crawl up their spines. Ōnoki snatched Naruto from the nurse's hands and held him up. "My minions, let me introduce you to our savior. Naruto Namik-ack!"

Two Jōnin were able to react fast enough to catch their falling Kage and the baby that had slipped through his hands. The Jōnin that had caught Naruto stared at him. His black eyes widened in recognition and he looked up at his Kage. After subduing the pain in his lower back, he chuckled. "Looks like my son has caught on. Yes, our savior is our worst nemesis's own son."

Once again, the room was filled with mixed reactions coming from his Jōnin.

"What is this nonsense?!"

"Kill the brat!"

"Brilliant!"

"Let's kill him and avenge our people!"

More suggestion and comments were thrown at the Tsuchikage by his Jōnin until finally, the old man had had enough.

"SILENCE!" Before the last syllable could be said, all the Jōnin ended their comments and the room was silent once again. At some point, the nurse must've left the room with Naruto because his crying could not be heard. "While I do appreciate the enthusiasm, I have already thought of a plan, and that is to turn the Yellow Flash's own child against him," at this, his Jōnin murmured to each other, confused as to what to think about it. "He will be the greatest Shinobi Iwa will ever produce and he will take us right to the top, right where we belong!"

He could see that more and more of his Jōnin were beginning to side with him, he just needed to keep pushing. "Think about it, the Yellow Flash will not think twice about killing any of us if we oppose him. But would he really take down his own son if it is he who challenges him?" He could feel adrenaline shoot through his bloodstreams as he saw the looks of his men. "With the right training and motivation, we will turn him into Iwa's greatest weapon and Konoha's worst enemy."

"But what if the boy decides to turn on us? What if he becomes our downfall?" a random Jōnin asked and Ōnoki laughed.

"You have nothing to worry about, I will make sure that the boy learns to hate Konoha and especially his father," though it was vague, majority of the Jōnin seemed satisfied by his answer.

"Now that that's out of the way, we must address the tedious parts. For one, I'm classifying young Naruto's lineage as a S-rank secret. No one outside of this room can know of his heritage, for it the next generation knew of it, they would shun him and thus, be counterproductive. From this day on, he is to be known as Sobōtsuchi, honorable grandson of the Third Tsuchikage."

He paused to let all of it sink in before he continued.

"Another thing that shall be labeled an S-rank secret is that he is also the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Another factor that can turn the next generation against him. But rest assured, he will receive the proper training to control the beast within him. Han, Roshi," at the call of their name, a man covered in metallic armor and an older man with red facial hair stepped up to their Kage and bowed. "You two will be responsible for his Jinchūriki training. I want you two coming up with a training schedule for him immediately after this meeting," the two nodded before blending into the crowd once more.

"Kitsuchi," Ōnoki watched as his son obediently walked up to him and waited patiently for his orders. "You will be responsible for his general training, such as taijutsu, physical training, and the basic three ninjutsu."

Kitsuchi nodded "He shall be trained alongside my daughter," and without another word, he backed into the crowd as Ōnoki turned to his youngest advisor.

"Daichi, you shall teach him tactics, Iwagakure's history, general education and anything else that falls into that category," with a sigh, Daichi nodded. "And finally, Satoshi, you will make sure he learns the proper etiquettes and manners."

"It shall be done, Lord Tsuchikage."

"Let's make history, people," Ōnoki said, a devilish grin stretching his face.

**[*.*.*.*]**

The Village Hidden in the Leaf was currently mourning the loss of their fallen heroes and comrades. Even the sky cried to their loss, for its tears fell upon all who inhabited the village. All of the residents of this grieving village were located at the funeral service of their lost friends and family.

All but two souls…

"You hit like a girl!"

"You fight like one!"

"Correction: I am one!"

In a secluded place, far away from the village, a Shinobi and a Kunoichi were sparring, trading punches and kicks, blocking and reversing moves. Since before the rain and even the night, the two had been at it with only a handful of breaks.

Faster than the Shinobi could react, the Kunoichi twisted her curvaceous body through his defenses and drove a vicious fist into his face. The Shinobi was thrown aback by the blow, biting back a groan as he pushed through the pain and grabbed her arm. With a twist and a turn, the Kunoichi sent the Shinobi to the ground with an armbar just before he could. Unfortunately for her, he had prepared for that and locked his hands together, preventing her from pulling on his right arm. Undeterred, the female moved her right leg under his locked hands and arms and moved her left leg under his head. Finding an opening, he moved up and was now over her, ready to strike down on her. She quickly pushed his right arm under him and pushed down on his shoulders with her right leg and locking him down with her left leg.

The Shinobi could feel her constrict the blood circulation in his head. Not wanting to pass out, the Shinobi used his infamous strength to lift her off her back and slam her back to the ground. Her grip loosened for a second but it was enough for him to slip through her hold and jump back. She sprang to her feet in a single motion and panted, joined by her male counterpart. At this point, neither of them could tell if it was the rain or tears streaming down their cheeks.

The Kunoichi moved a stray red hair from her face and placed it behind her ear. The Shinobi just pushed his blond locks out of his eyes.

"Break?" the blond offered, causing the redhead to smile mockingly.

"Tired?" he shook his head.

"Just don't want to end up in the hospital like last time," he said and the redhead nodded. They walked up to each other and shared a chaste kiss before going to a pair of water bottles sitting near a basket under the shelter of a tree. The two drank until they were content, the blond ending it before the redhead.

"Hey, Kushina," the blond called out, though she was still chugging down the water so she gave him a sideways glance. "You know I love you, right?" he saw her roll her eyes and he reached out to her. "I'm serious."

"I know you are, Minato," she replied after finishing her water. She held his hand, though when she reached for it, it seemed a bit too hesitant for Minato's taste. And yet, he pushed his displeasure aside when he saw her eyes soften. "And I know you do. Just as you know that I love you. Nothing will ever change that."

Though she looked okay, he knew better. She was dying inside, and there was little he could do for her. And it wasn't like she was the only one; he almost didn't get out of bed in the morning. The sadness and grief in his heart almost seemed to have manifested into physical weight that made him feel a thousand times heavier. And his thoughts plagued him with different questions of the same topic. He just couldn't fathom why someone would go out of their way to kill someone, especially one so young. It wasn't fair; it seemed too cruel to have his only son taken from him in such a short amount of time.

Kushina frowned at the look in Minato's eyes and felt her temper flare. "Again!" she declared angrily as she tossed the empty bottle to the side and brought her husband out of his thoughts. He felt his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach at her reaction. However, he wasn't mad at her; he didn't even blame her for reacting this way.

"Come on! We're wasting time!" he decided against

He just wished she could grieve in a less physically-harming way like cuddling in their bed…

"You call that a punch?" She mocked before sending her right fist into Minato's stomach, making him bow forward. He grit his teeth and sent decent amount of chakra from his right palm to her torso, making her fly back into a far away bush. He gently rubbed his stomach before going after her.

Or at least maybe make bowl after bowl of her delicious ramen.

If only…

* * *

**So that's it... Honestly, its pretty exhausting to come up with fight scenes sometimes... Hell, the last portion with Kushina and Minato almost didn't make the cut but after some consideration and consultation, I figured it'd be a good for the story development if I did...**

**Next chapter will pertain to a few time skips of Naruto/Sobōtsuchi and his progress... This time, however, I won't write just about his training... I'll focus more on his relationship with Kurotsuchi, Han, Roshi, the OC Daichi and with others his age... After all, I am supposed to show how different his life is in Iwa as opposed to how it was in canon... At least, i think that was one of the conditions anyway...**

**By the way, -tsuchi means Earth and Sobō- means wild, violent and/or hard... So basically, his name now means Wild/violent/hard Earth... I think it's good siince Kurotsuchi means Black Earth, Akatsuchi means Red Earth and her father's name means Yellow Earth... Well, it seems good enough for now, but if you think you have a better name for him, I'm open to some suggestions...**

**I think that's it, so please review, it lets me know if i'm doing a good job or not...**

**Till next time!**

**Next Chapter: The Rise of Iwa's Stolen Hero...**


	3. Shaping the Hero

**Ok, so... I had a major case of writer's block... Still do technically... **

**I don't have a problem with the plot, just the small details that keep me from advancing... Like this chapter; I didn't want to just skip a couple of years or ten so I decided to show you guys how Naruto's training in going... I'm still debating whether the next chapter should just begin with where I want to start or if I should show something else...**

**Hm...**

**Well, enjoy!**

**Oh, and before anyone gets confused, Naruto is Sobōtsuchi... Its not permanent but it'll probably be like that for a handful of chapters or so...**

**"Spend at least some of your training time, and other parts of your day, concentrating on what you are doing in training and visualizing your success."  
-Grete Waitz**

**I don't own Naruto...**

* * *

In the Hidden Stone Village, most of its citizens mostly kept to themselves. They liked the peace and quiet that came along their village, secluded from the rest of the world courtesy of the surrounding mountains.

This day was no different as Sobōtsuchi could be found staring intently on the game board sitting in front of him. Daichi stared at the blond as he took in his habits and body language. The blond would always have his eyes closed when he thought and crossed his arms. Daichi had to say, the boy had the potential to be quite the shinobi. He had seen his training sessions with controlling his Biju, his taijutsu, ninjutsu and physical training. He had enough stamina and chakra to power the entire village for a day and the tactical mind to put a veteran Jōnin to shame. And yet, he was still a child so he didn't really know how to use it properly. That's where Daichi came in.

"Dattebayo, ōte!" Sobōtsuchi shouted enthusiastically, causing Daichi to sigh.

"That's an illegal move, baka. You lose... again," Sobōtsuchi growled in anger and moved to flip over the board game. "How about this; you take the next game seriously and I'll treat you to three bowls of ramen," Daichi offered, keeping all emotions off his face, though inside, he wanted to smirk. Sometime after the blond brat could speak and eat on his own, he had found comfort in some noodles in broth. More than comfort, actually, he almost worshipped the food. Knowing this, Daichi was surprised when Sobōtsuchi flashed an eager grin for only a split second before he put on a thoughtful expression.

"Five bowls," Sobōtsuchi countered and Daichi raised an eyebrow. Sobōtsuchi grinned and began to chuckle, his eyes becoming slits. "Take it or leave it old timer!"

A tic mark appeared over the 'old timer' but a challenging smirk graced his features. "Fine, but only _if_ you beat me. If I win, you have to play the next five games seriously without complaint," Sobōtsuchi paled but the determination in his eyes brightened and intensified.

"Deal," without another word, the two set up their pieces and started the game again. It didn't take long for Sobōtsuchi to corner Daichi's king, surprising the elder. However, it still didn't stop him from saving his king by sacrificing his queen. Sobōtsuchi glared at him before going back into his mind and planning another strategy. The boy was just full of surprises; instead of going into his usual thinking pose, the boy had shifted his hands on his knees while sitting in the lotus position and his two cerulean eyes stared determinedly and defiantly. It wasn't his posture that surprised Daichi but the sharp look his eyes displayed.

Still, even giving it his all, Sobōtsuchi still lost to Daichi. The man was simply too good to lose to the seven year old. Though he had to give it to the brat, he had given him a hell of a game.

"Again, -ttebayo!" Sobōtsuchi shouted angrily as he began to reset his pieces. Daichi just blinked before smirking and resetting his pieces as well. This would be an interesting day.

[*.*.*.*]

Sobōtsuchi ran down the bridges that connected all the stone buildings scattered throughout the village. It was the only way to travel from place to place if one didn't have the necessary skills to jump from building to building, like Shinobi did. He could have easily done so but the blond was so busy thinking about how much trouble he was in that he didn't even consider it.

"Sobōtsuchi," a monotonous voice almost whispered the name. However, the blond had heard him and froze in fear. "I specifically remember telling you to show up at Training Ground Alfa almost thirty minutes ago," an imposing figure suddenly jumped down from out of nowhere and shook the bridge he now stood on. Sobōtsuchi turned his head slowly and chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. Behind him stood one of the most intimidating men Sobōtsuchi ever had the misfortune to call his sensei. Covered from head to toe in red metallic plates and a black gi. His light brown eyes stared scoldingly at the child cowering in front of him. "Am I incorrect to assume that you are late?"

Sobōtsuchi faced the man and hung his head in shame. "No Han-sensei."

"I see. Very well then," Han turned and began walking away. "We will begin training at six o'clock," he stopped and turned his face so Sobōtsuchi could see his profile. His lone eye stared critically at the young boy, causing shivers to run down his body. "You won't be late," it wasn't a question, it was an order. Sobōtsuchi nodded and bowed. When he knew his sensei was gone, he stood up right only to blink and fall back. A girl stood smiling at him with her arms behind her back and a blinding smile present on her creamy face. Her red hair was made into one neat braid traveling down her back and ending at mid-thigh. She wore a red kimono that stopped at her knees with her left sleeve purposely missing and black pants.

"Don't do that!" Sobōtsuchi yelled, a red tint painting his tan cheeks, embarrassed at being caught off guard. The redhead only giggled at the blond's pathetic display to look intimidating. Finally, he couldn't keep the serious expression on his face and started laughing. After the laughing died down, the two began walking, having no specific destination in mind.

"So what do you want to do?" the redhead asked and Sobōtsuchi bit his lower lip.

"I don't know Honoka, but I can't be late to Han-sensei's training session. He gets a bit sensitive and angry when I do," he replied and Honoka laughed. Sobōtsuchi smiled warmly at his cousin before turning his eyes forward. The old man had told Sobōtsuchi of his Uzumaki blood and that they even found a relative of his. He wasn't specific where they found her but that didn't matter; Sobōtsuchi was happy to have family near him.

"Let's go get something to eat, it's around lunch time anyway," Honoka said offhandedly before pointing a finger at her cousin and giving him a serious look. "But no ramen, if I keep eating it, I'm going to get sick of it," she told him, much to his disappointment. He sighed and nodded in agreement, he already ate ramen thanks to Daichi so it's not like he had to have it now. He followed after her as she lead him to some seemingly random restaurant. He didn't really care, it wasn't ramen so it would only pale in comparison in terms of taste.

The day progressed relatively quickly, with Sobōtsuchi and Honoka separating to do what they planned on doing for the day. Mostly just train. Honoka had told Sobōtsuchi that she was just working on perfecting her fuinjutsu and expanding her repertoire. Sobōtsuchi decided to go to the training grounds early, just so he's not tempted to be late again. He wasn't surprised to see Han there, his social life was non-existent and Sobōtsuchi couldn't help but feel sorry for the Jinchuuriki.

Some adults would stare at the blond with some animosity and it always made him sad that his own people saw him like a monster just because he carried one in his gut. He could only try to imagine the treatment Han received, seeing as he had to work with most of the adult Shinobi that glared at him.

"I see you're here early... good," Han said, not moving from where he sat. Sobōtsuchi moved beside him and sat down in the lotus position. He let out a sigh before emptying his mind and slowing down his breathing. He didn't like to sit still for too long but he knew it helped him get himself under control. Han was always making him meditate so when the time came to draw on the Kyubi's chakra, he'd be able to do so easily and without the Kyubi's negative emotions consuming him. He had seen Han in action using his Biju's chakra and if he said this would work, Sobōtsuchi didn't have a doubt in his mind it would. He just wished it didn't take so long to do.

Sobōtsuchi could vaguely hear movements beside him but he ignored it as he disciplined his body to ignore the material world. However, no matter how much time he spent working on his discipline, he could never ignore the icey-chill sensation of cold water being poured over his head. His bright azure eyes snapped open as his body jolted up and shook after a gentle breeze blew over his wet body. He turned his eyes over to the source of the water and blinked when he saw Han holding a now empty bucket and what seemed to be joy behind his brown eyes.

An unfamiliar sound resonated from the older Jinchuuriki and Sobōtsuchi raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Not exactly the response I was hoping for," the man began before putting the bucket down and crossing his arms over his chest. "However, your physical and mental reactions are satisfactory. Kitsuchi must be doing something right," he remarked. Sobōtsuchi continued to stare at Han before he let out a silent gasp. That was joy! He drew amusement from what just happened! Sobōtsuchi's eyes narrowed but wasn't given a chance to speak. "Enough meditation, I think its safe to say you're ready to begin training with the Kyubi's chakra."

Whatever negative emotions and thoughts Sobōtsuchi had of Han disappeared in an instant and excitement began bubbling in his stomach. However, he managed to reign in his excitement and managed to bow lowly. Quite pleased with this, Han nodded to himself and turned around and took ten steps away from Sobōtsuchi. He sat down in the lotus position and connected his gaze with the blond's, who had righted himself as he walked away. The blond sat down as well and waited for his sensei's instructions.

"What we are going to do now is link our minds so we can truely begin the lesson," Sobōtsuchi had no idea what he meant by that but suddenly felt a gentle tug inside his mind. Han's eyes were closed and finally, it clicked in his head. He closed his eyes as well, putting his months and months of practice to work and emptied his mind. Almost immediately, he felt a surreal rush of wind and snapped his eyes opened. He was greeted to the sight of nothing; just an empty void of absolutely nothing. Sobōtsuchi's eyes widened as a sense of dread began to fill him.

"Behind you," he heard Han say and when he turned he was surprised by seeing said Jinchuuriki sitting on the head of his Biju, the Gobi. The dolphin/horse biju just stared down at the young blond but Sobōtsuchi couldn't see or sense any malice or hatred from the great being. It was odd considering the things he's heard of it. Suddenly, the Gobi's eyes travelled up and narrowed in disgust. Sobōtsuchi noticed that Han also shifted his attention to what the Gobi was looking at but saw suspicion and caution in his eyes instead of disgust. Slowly, the blond turned, his imagination running wild about what the two could be looking at. Before he could completely turn, he distinctly hear the sounds of chains rattling. He looked at his feet and saw white, spiked chains attached to his ankles. Without thinking, he completely turned and was surprised to see giant bars stretching up and across into the void for what was most likely forever. The inside was dark, nothing could be seen beyond five feet into the cage. He blinked and gasped in fear; in the amount of time it took him to blink, big red eyes and sharp, dangerous-looking teeth appeared from the abyss.

"What a lovely surprise," the new creature's voice boomed with amusement and a sense of superiority, its voice echoing around the others. "My _host_ and my weaker _brother_," the tone the creature spoke in was just dripping with sarcasm and venom. Doubt and fear began to creep into Sobōtsuchi's mind and heart; was _this_ what Han and the Old man expected him to control? The creature-no! The... The demon in front of him was leaking his power and letting it spread around the three. Han and the Gobi seemed unaffected aside from the scowl and irritation showing on their faces. Sobōtsuchi, on the other hand, was sweating up a storm and shaking like a leaf in the wind. Staring into the eyes of his prison, he could see that this was not even a hundredth of the beast's true power. No, this was the beast just lazily displaying his power. The blond slowly fell to his knees.

"Sobōtsuchi!" the boy looked up at Han and connected eyes with him. Suddenly, he remembered all the hours spent working on his discipline, on his meditation. A sense of confidence sparked in Sobōtsuchi's chest as he closed his eyes and relaxed his breathing. The monster and his evil chakra was distracting but Sobōtsuchi somehow managed to push that aside and concentrate on controlling himself. Soon enough, the power stopped abruptly and he heard the sound of a grunt. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see the Kyubi's 'cage' shrink down to a third of its original size. The amount of hatred and rage held in the monster's eyes scared Sobōtsuchi, but the blond refused to show it. He just stared passively at the contained beast.

"When I get out of here, _boy_, I will make sure you're the first to die by my claws!" the Kyubi declared angrily. Despite being threatened by the terrifying chakra beast, Sobōtsuchi couldn't help but feel sorry for it. He raised his right hand and slowly reached towards the bars. Just before his fingers could even touch it, Han called out to him. Turning his blue orbs towards his sensei again, he saw the worry in his eyes.

It seemed that Han didn't need to say anything more, seeing as Sobōtsuchi dropped his hand back to his side and disappeared just after the Kyubi and its cage did. He saw the look in the blond's eyes and knew that he understood as well, even on a subconscious level.

He wasn't ready to create a bond with his beast, yet.

Han sighed as he remained with the Gobi a while longer. This would set them back a few months, possibly years if the Kyubi continued to be as hostile as it had just been. Hopefully, the blond could make the beast have a change of heart, just like he did with him.

[*.*.*.*]

Sobōtsuchi sighed as he stared absently at the chalkboard. He found attending Iwa's academy was rather... bland.

At first, he was excited at the prospect of going to the academy like a normal kid. However, after a month of it, Sobōtsuchi couldn't stand it. Everything they were talking about, he already knew. All the lessons on how to properly throw a kunai or shuriken, Taijutsu forms and the basic ninjutsu every shinobi should know, everything. He could pass the graduation exam in his sleep if he really wanted to.

The blond was suddenly taken out of his thoughts when he felt something tap his nose. He blinked and stared down at the desk in front of him and saw a brown-haired boy smiling at him. Sobōtsuchi stared at him for a second longer before smiling with his eyes shut. To the left of the boy was another familiar face; Kurotsuchi. She was his childhood friend and one of the few people Sobōtsuchi could really connect to. See turned her head slightly and made eye contact for only a second before turning back to face the front. The blond blinked before shrugging his shoulders and continued to drift into his mind.

What he couldn't see was the blush painting the black-haired girl's cheeks.

She felt her ire rise as she noticed other girls stealing glances at the blond every once in a while. She couldn't blame them for staring but that didn't mean she had to like it. Kurotsuchi shook her head as she tried to pay attention to what their sensei was talking about. She already knew what he was teaching them, it was simply the history of the founding of the Hidden Stone Village. What she really wanted to do was go train with her dad and spar with Sobōtsuchi.

Lately though, she's noticed that the blond hasn't had as much time to train and spar with her as he used to. Nowadays, he would usually be found with Han, Daichi or Satoshi. When she confronted her grandfather about joining him, the old man just waved her off saying that Sobōtsuchi was a 'special case' and she wouldn't be able to keep up. As much as she wanted to argue, she saw the look on his face and remained quiet, not uttering a single word as he dismissed her.

"Hey! Kurotsuchi!" said girl blinked as she was brought out of her thoughts by the blond standing in front of her. When he saw her come to, he smiled that big smile she secretly enjoyed watching so much and made her blush. "Come on! Akatsuchi, Takashi, Rei and I are all getting lunch down at Iwa's Valley. Akatsuchi said they serve a mean salmon and rice cakes. Wanna come?" Sobōtsuchi asked and all Kurotsuchi could do was nodded numbly. "Great!" he cheered as he grabbed her hand and began dragging her towards the other students already leaving the academy.

"S-Sobōtsuchi!" Kurotsuchi's blush deepened as she tried to stop the blond but it was all in vain; Sobōtsuchi didn't seem to hear her. Their friends up ahead saw the two and smirked at seeing the poor girl's blush. They moved out of the way as Sobōtsuchi ran past them and then began to run after the two.

Sobōtsuchi continued to smile goofily as he let himself feel like the kid he was. It had been a while since he felt his age and if he were honest with himself, it felt refreshing. It was like all the pressure the old man had put on him was gone and he was a normal boy with a normal life and normal friends to play with.

"What about Honoka?" Takashi, a brown-haired boy about Sobōtsuchi's size, asked, soon being accompanied by Rei and Akatsuchi. Sobōtsuchi only smirked.

"I sent a clone to tell her. She'll meet us there. Let's go!" Sobōtsuchi shouted, still dragging the black-haired girl behind him. She only stared at the back of his head before her eyes closed a bit and smiled with a cute blush on her cheeks.

[*.*.*.*]

As if itt wasn't bad enough that Han had told him that it might take longer for Sobōtsuchi to control his biju than expected, now this message from one of his spies made his mood plummet. Apparently, his old friend, Roshi, was now dead. The circumstances of his death and his killers were still unknown, which annoyed the Tsuchikage to no end. He knew he shouldn't have allowed the crazy old monkey to see the world like he wanted to.

He slammed his old hand down on his oak desk and a resounding thunder roared in his office. Not only did they lose a powerful Jōnin, but also a biju. Of course, he still had two more, but only one was able to fully use his beast's power.

No, this will not do at all.

"ANBU!" the old man called for his ANBU and within a second, three ANBU bowed before the Tsuchikage.

"SIR!"

"I need you three to head over to where my spies tell me Roshi was killed. Find out who killed my Jinchuuriki and where they went. If you can, bring back his body and find out what happened to the Yonbi. Your main objective, however, is to obliterate the man or men who did this," Onoki growled out and saw his three ANBU nodded. "Dismissed!" in the blink of an eye, the three ANBU disappeared just as fast as they had appeared. Onoki turned his chair around as he faced the window where he had a view of his beautiful and prosperous village. His sour mood was forgotten for a moment when he saw a familiar head of blond hair running on the bridges networking the various buildings to each other.

The boy was only seven-years-old and yet he showed true potential. He was everything he had hoped he'd be and more. Before long, the boy would be able to take down the Yellow Flash and bring his head to him in a silver platter. The Tsuchikage was almost shaking in anticipation. All he had to do was wait.

Onoki tilted his chair back as he tried to relax, trying ot comfort his nerves with the thought of a powerful Sobōtsuchi shoving his hand through the Fourth Hokage's chest and bringing the Hidden Leaf Village down to ashes with his biju.

All he had to do was wait.

* * *

**So that's it...**

**So how about it guys? Should I just skip to what everyone wants or show something else? His relationship with another person? Another event?**

**If there's something you want to see or think I should show before I get into the plot, let me know.. If not, I'm just probably gunna jump straight to it...**

**Till next time!**

**Good luck with whatever!**


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